High school football player hospitalized after exposure to toxic herbicide

LAKE CORMORANT, Miss. (WMC/Gray News) - A high school football player in Mississippi has been hospitalized after being exposed to paraquat, a highly toxic chemical that’s banned in more than 70 countries.

Zach Brown, a junior offensive lineman at Lake Cormorant High School, has spent the start of the season in the hospital after accidentally being exposed to the herbicide, which can be lethal if ingested even in small amounts.

“It’s probably the most toxic herbicide by far,” Dr. Michael Marlin with the Mississippi Poison Control Center said.

Lake Cormorant head football coach Nick Nester said his wife has coordinated with the family to launch a GoFundMe to support Brown, who has been moved from Le Bonheur to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston for continued treatment.

“He’s a first-class kid. He’s very humble, very quiet. Just a hardworking kid,” Nester said. “Shows up every day to do whatever he needs to, academically and athletically, to be a great representation for Lake Cormorant High School.”

Marlin said paraquat is a restricted-use pesticide used in agriculture. There are about 100 cases of paraquat exposure every year nationwide, and the chemical has a high mortality rate.

The compound damages the kidneys and liver before naturally accumulating in the lungs weeks after exposure.

“Long-term, the biggest issue is injury to the lungs, like permanent lung injury, which can necessitate lung transplantation,” Marlin said.

Loved ones said Brown is being evaluated for a lung transplant. Nester said Brown’s family gave a hopeful update when they last spoke.

“They said the last couple of days have been looking a lot more positive than it had been in the past,” Nester said. “Seems like he got through some challenging parts, but I don’t think he’s completely out of the woods yet either.”